The invention relates to a gas generator (10) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing (20) and a filter structure (30) for purifying and/or cooling gas released inside the outer casing (20), wherein the filter structure (30) is integrated in the outer casing (20). The invention further relates to an airbag module and a vehicle occupant safety system comprising said gas generator as well as to a manufacturing method.

A gas generator includes a housing and a partition portion dividing a space in the housing into a combustion chamber accommodating a gas generating agent and a filter chamber accommodating a filter. The partition portion includes a first region which opens at the time of activation by being located to be opposed to a hollow portion of the filter and an annular second region which does not open even at the time of activation by being located to be opposed to a portion of an axial end surface of the filter except for the hollow portion. The second region is provided with a large-thickness portion constructed to be greater in thickness than the first region and opposed to an outer edge portion of the axial end surface of the filter, and the large-thickness portion is constructed to gradually be greater in thickness from an inner circumferential end portion toward an outer circumferential end portion.

A dual-stage hybrid inflator and triggering a method thereof are provided. The dual-stage hybrid inflator includes a main casing, a central pipe, and a disc set, a first propellant chamber assembly, a second propellant chamber assembly, a pressurized gas, a first igniter assembly, a second igniter assembly and an exhaust hood. The main casing includes a bottom housing and an upper housing. The central pipe is fixed with the bottom housing and passed through the upper housing. A convective hole is disposed on the central pipe. The disc set, which is used to prevent the gas escaping from the main casing, is disposed on the top of the central pipe. The doublet propellant chamber, which is filled with different dosage of propellant, is initiated by the igniters disposed thereon in order to generate various degrees of gas depended on various degrees of collision.

The present invention provides a gas generator, including

a cylindrical housing in which an ignition device and a diffuser portion provided with a gas discharge port are disposed,

an inner cylindrical member being disposed to form a gap with an inner circumferential wall surface of the cylindrical housing, a gas generating agent being charged in the inner cylindrical member,

the gap serving as a gas discharge path leading to the gas discharge port,

the inner cylindrical member being formed of a plurality of cylindrical members which are connected in an axial direction at connecting portions, a circumference wall of each of the cylindrical members having a plurality of gas inlet-outlet holes,

an opening of each of the plurality of cylindrical members, that serves as a connecting portion of the respective cylindrical members, being provided with a plurality of concave-convex portions, concave portions and convex portions of the respective connecting portions being fitted to each other to connect the cylindrical members,

axial both ends of the connected cylindrical members having a protrusion respectively, which protrudes outward in the radial direction,

an outer circumferential portion of a first protrusion on the side of the ignition device serving as a first abutment portion, and a surface of a second protrusion on the side of the diffuser portion serving as a second abutment portion, and

the connecting portions, the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion being abutted against the inner circumferential wall surface of the cylindrical housing and having a hole or a gap which allows a gas to pass therethrough.

A gas generator includes a lower shell as a housing, an igniter including a squib cup and a plug, and a fixing portion formed from a resin molding for fixing the igniter to the lower shell. The squib cup includes a contact portion in contact with the plug and a non-contact portion not in contact with the plug. The fixing portion includes a cover portion secured to an outer circumferential surface of the squib cup, and the cover portion has a lower-side annular cover portion covering a part of the contact portion and an upper-side annular cover portion covering a part of the non-contact portion. A thickness t2 of the upper-side annular cover portion is smaller than a thickness t1 of the lower-side annular cover portion, and the cover portion is formed in a stepped shape having a substantially two-dimensionally annular step-formed surface orthogonal to an axial direction of the squib cup.

A driver airbag module (20) comprising a cover (22), a housing (40) matably configured with cover (22), a pyrotechnic inflator (60) having a flange (70), and airbag fitted within the space between housing (40, 40a) and cover (22), the airbag inflating with gas provided by the inflator (60), wherein the heat shield (80) is positioned between the lower surface (42) of housing (40, 40a) and an upper surface (71) of flange (70), the heat shield protectively shielding surface (42) from the heat transfer from flange (70) to prevent surface (42) from melting.

A gas generator includes a housing, one or more first discharge ports provided in the housing and configured to discharge the combustion gas, one or more second discharge ports provided in the housing configured to discharge the combustion gas, and a closing member covering at least one of the one or more first discharge ports and at least one of the one or more second discharge ports together. The closing member includes a portion covering the at least one first discharge port and configured to rupture at a first rupture pressure and a portion covering the at least one second discharge port and configured to rupture at a second rupture pressure, and the closing member includes a breakage assisting portion configured to reduce a strength of the closing member at at least a boundary portion between the at least one first discharge port and the at least one second discharge port.

A vehicle seat has an airbag module arranged in a seat bottom cushion. The seat bottom cushion is covered by a cover and comprises at least a first, relatively softer, comfort foam element adjacent to the cover and a second, relatively harder or firmer, protective foam element. The airbag module is positioned within a cavity defined in and by the second foam element so that it is at least partially surrounded by the harder second foam to protect the airbag module from downward forces applied to the seat bottom.

A vehicular safety restraint inflator device, the inflator device includes a tubular housing to provide inflation gas to inflate an associated inflatable restraint device and a toroidal clamp stop positioned on the tubular inflator housing. The clamp stop serves to provide a hard stop for an inflator attachment clamp to secure the inflator device within an airbag module and thus to minimize or avoid undesired lateral movement of the inflator device within a module assembly.

A gas generator includes a cylindrical partition wall portion including a plurality of gas passage holes through which a gas generated as a result of burning of a gas generating agent passes. Two sealing tapes in a form of a band are contiguously bonded to the partition wall portion such that a direction of extension thereof matches with a circumferential direction of the partition wall portion and each one of a pair of end portions located in each direction of extension is layered on an adjacent sealing tape. The gas passage hole is closed by a layered bonding region which is a portion where adjacent sealing tapes are layered on each other, and the gas passage hole is closed by a non-layered bonding region which is a portion where adjacent sealing tapes are not layered on each other.